A young boy thinks he's discovered a way to avoid eating his peas -- he makes a bargain with a fiendishly funny monster. First the deal is simple: the monster will eat the boy's peas in exchange for his soccer ball. But with each new encounter, the monster's demands escalate. Eventually, our hero faces a daunting decision -- can he conquer his loathing for peas or will he lose his most prized possession?

About the Author

DANNY SCHNITZLEIN?S picture book, THE MONSTER WHO DID MY MATH, is the second book in his monster series. This new tale brings back your favorite characters from THE MONSTER WHO ATE MY PEAS with a new look thanks to first-time Peachtree illustrator Bill Mayer. THE MONSTER WHO ATE MY PEAS received the 2004 Young Hoosier Book Award and was nominated for Readers? Choice Awards in Maryland, Missouri, Pennsylvania and Virginia. The book was selected to represent the state of Georgia at the 2004 National Book Festival in Washington, D.C. Recently the book was chosen by the Georgia Department of Education for its ?READ MORE? program, which created a DVD distributed to all Georgia schools featuring Atlanta Braves pitcher, John Smoltz, reading THE MONSTER WHO ATE MY PEAS. Schnitzlein was born in Birmingham, Ala. and grew up in Tampa, Fla. It was in Florida that Schnitzlein became a musician, captain and television producer. As a musician he played trumpet in his high school band and served as drum major. While working at Busch Gardens he was a captain on the African Queen Boat Ride. Schnitzlein then studied creative writing at Eckerd College and earned a degree in Television Production from the University of Florida. Since graduating he has worked at various jobs, including video editor, writer/producer of TV commercials, fine artist and painting instructor. Schnitzlein also writes scripts and songs for children's educational television, including ?SALSA, ? a show that teaches Spanish, and ?The OrganWise Guys, ? a program about good health. In his spare time he loves playing guitar, reading, painting, hiking and movies. He lives in the Atlanta area with his wife and two children. Visit www.DannySchnitzlein.com to learn more.

Matt Faulkner is a talented and clever picture-book maker whose dazzling ink and watercolor illustrations have graced dozens of well-loved picture books. On his inspiration for "A Taste of Colored Water, " he says, "When I was a boy it would've surprised me to learn that the word COLORED hung over a water fountain didn't mean that this was a magical place where fruit-flavored water flowed on demand." This story has grown out of his lifelong exploration of race and societal intolerance and the questions these institutions raise. His more recent work features several titles that focus on United States history, including "Thank You, Sarah" by Laurie Halse Anderson and "You're on Your Way, Teddy Roosevelt" by Judith St. George. He lives in Oakland, California, with his son.